Thieves, Assassins and Mutants: Part 3
by Remy'sRose
Summary: AU of 616. What if Rogue and Gambit met before they joined the X-Men? ROMY: Facing lies, deceit, the Brotherhood, the Guilds, Mr. Sinister, Remy's powers growing out of control and let's throw in the Friends of Humanity along with the threat of Sentinels. The last part of this trilogy! Appearances by the Avengers and a lotta X-Men. Rated M for violence, sex, and strong language.


**(A/N:** Finally! The third part! I had intended to let this chapter finish off the second part but I think it worked out better as a lead in to the third. To those still following, thanks for sticking with it. **Ludi:** Your reviews are keeping me going, thank you! To those that have been favoriting and following, please leave reviews! I would really love your feedback. Yes, I'm begging a little but who can blame me. I hope to wrap up a few things here and there will probably be a lot more action in this last part of my little trilogy. I hope you all enjoy.**)**

**Chapter 1: This Would Be the Frying Pan**

It was only weeks until the Brotherhood were scheduled to head to Washington and much to Raven's displeasure, Remy was to be sent out on a job with Henri somewhere along the east coast; just exactly where, Rogue wasn't sure. Despite her vague assurances otherwise, Rogue had yet to reveal any of what her foster mothers had told her to Remy. Since the mission was primarily about destroying the proposals and making sure that the bills in question never reached the Joint Chiefs, Rogue convinced Mystique that Remy didn't really need to be involved. It wasn't as if he would be joining the groups hitting the FOH's headquarters, they would simply be walking into the evacuated bunkers and destroying everything pertaining to the bills. Aside from this, Rogue stretched the truth and informed her foster mother that the job Remy would be taking on had already been planned before they knew about the meeting in Washington and he would be hard pressed to get out of it. Irene had said little during these exchanges but Rogue found that she had a hard time looking at the older woman. She felt as though the woman called Destiny could see right through her lies and realized that this was entirely possible; she may very well had seen all of this play out. If Remy being involved helped their outcome in anyway, Irene didn't mention it. In fact, she said very little about their mission in general which unnerved Rogue to no end. She wanted to ask Irene about it, about everything; Remy, the Brotherhood's chances of success and more importantly, the fate of her family. She just couldn't bring herself to ask. Through Mina and Philippe's wedding and Vivi's christening ceremony, Rogue smiled happily, pretending that things couldn't be better. In reality, her nerves had become incredibly frayed; there was increasing violence up near Baton Rouge, near the FOH headquarters and she was on tenterhooks, waiting for it to come spilling towards them. Raven had concocted some sort of story about a weekend away with the women in the family and despite her smiles, Remy noticed the change in his wife. Ever since her conversation with her foster mothers, Rogue had been a bit distant, though she tried to assure him that all was well, she would shy away from his affections and make excuses about being tired when he would reach for her at night; needless to say he was more than a little concerned. Especially after a discussion with Jean Luc; the patriarch had seen Rogue sneak into the kitchen and viciously rip the pamphlets up over the trash can; from that day on, he had people watching the building and the surrounding area. Jean Luc assured Remy that they were safe there but Remy told him of the rumors he had heard from Emma and Spiral; if the FOH were to suddenly become supported and funded by the government, they wouldn't be safe anywhere.

The other members of Remy's family had learned of the FOH and had become aware of the effect the nearness of the group had on Anna; she had a strained look now and her flawless brow was often marred with a slight frown; she had been trying to pretend all was well but her stress was growing more and more visible with each passing day. They tried to distract her, tried to allay her fears, to let her know that she was safe with them but she merely smiled as though she were humoring them and that frown crept back into her brow. More disturbing was Remy's discovery of a packed bag with items that clearly told him that his wife was preparing for the worst and the bag was to be grabbed in the event of a quick departure. A few of his things among them told him that she meant it to be just the three of them on this quick escape. For most of his life, he never had to worry about much more than the occasional flare up between the guilds; New Orleans had been run by the guilds for as long as anyone could remember and it had always been a safe haven; now the tide was turning. These hatemongering new comers had shifted the balance of power and the guilds were not happy. Even those who had no real connection to mutants, for these newcomers had been brought into the state before they began recruiting; they were trespassing. Jean Luc was notified of a meeting between the leading members of both guilds to discuss the situation and he informed Remy that he wanted him to come along; to tell them what he had learned from Raven's friends. Remy balked of course but Jean Luc insisted though he assured Remy that he wouldn't have to reveal too many details about where this information had come from so as not to suggest that Anna and her mother were involved in anything suspicious. He was still wary but he realized that the guilds uniting against the FOH would be his best bet at protecting his family.

"Anna?" Remy stepped into Vivi's nursery on the morning of the meeting to say goodbye. He found his wife and daughter there, Vivi was atop a plush blanket on the floor facing Rogue. The child had learned to roll around and wiggle on her belly to inch about but lately, she had figured out how to hold herself up on her hands and knees. She had yet to figure out how to actually crawl but at the rate she was figuring things out, it was only a matter of time before she realized how to coordinate her hands with her knees properly. Pausing at the doorway, Remy watched his infant daughter rocking back and forth while she attempted to decipher a way to get mobile. Vivi knew what she wanted and she knew that her current achievement was a way to get there but she wasn't sure how to go about getting from point A to point B. Her chubby fingers gripped at the blanket but she made no attempt to move her hands forward and tip her precarious position; her knees began to edge forward as she rocked, yes, it was only a matter of time. "I t'ink we gonna be in trouble real soon, eh?"

At the sound of her father's voice, Vivi looked around the room until she caught sight of him and let out a delighted squeal that made both her parents grin. "Ah'd say that's a safe assumption, shugah."

Remy knelt down and lifted Vivi into his arms which thrilled her to no end; Rogue watched them from where she sat, cross-legged on the floor with absolute joy welling up from the deepest part of her. She watched Remy lift their daughter over his head as Vivi let out a shriek of laughter and she wished that she could freeze time and live in that moment forever. As much joy as she was feeling at that moment, the realization that things wouldn't remain as they were came to her and the fear of all the dangers that seemed to be closing in on their little family began to creep into the back of her mind. Pushing it back didn't quite seem to work, it was always there in the back of her mind, haunting her every move and she couldn't seem to shake it. She hated the fear and uncertainty; never before had she known anything like it; she had always been able to take on anything that threatened her before. Seek and destroy. She had to eliminate these threats as soon as possible; it was the only way to rid herself of these fears and make sure her family was safe. Her resolve hardened as she sat there, her green eyes hardening like emeralds, focusing on nothing in particular as her mind began devising and planning. She needed to discover exactly what she was up against; the allies of the Brotherhood would be hitting the FOH headquarters in Baton Rouge and Rogue needed to make sure that not a scorched stone of that building was left standing. Or a single bigot left alive.

"_Chere_?" Rogue looked up suddenly when Remy's voice broke through her thoughts; he was watching her, his red on black eyes full of concern as he held Vivi against his shoulder. Vivi was busy tugging at her father's long, unruly hair to notice anything going on between her parents. "Y' ok, hon?"

"Ah-" Rogue pasted on a tight smile that she always seemed to have ready these days when she wanted to convince everyone that she hadn't a care in the world. "Ah was just lost in thought for a minute. Thinkin' 'bout all the baby proofin' we're gonna have ta do ta this place, ya know?"

"Yeah," Remy swallowed her lie but he had seen that hardness in her eyes before she slapped that mask she had been wearing of late over what she was really feeling. She used to confide in him and he missed that; he wished that she would just trust him with what she was feeling and they could deal with it together. He missed the woman he married terribly. "Anyway, I jus' came in t' let y' know dat we be leavin' for a while. Guild business. Poppa wants me, Henri and Mercy along, Emil an' Lapin be here in case y' need anyt'in'. It shouldn't take more'n a couple hours, mebbe we take Vivi t' de park when I get back."

"Sounds good, shugah," Rogue got to her feet and pulled out Vivi's diaper bag and moved to the changing table to start packing it. "Ah was just thinkin' of takin' Vivi t' visit Mama an' Renie, they haven't had a nice visit with her for a couple weeks. This way Ah won't have to drag y' along. We should be back before the meetin's over. It's just too nice a day t' be cooped up inside."

Remy watched her stuff diapers and other necessities into the bag for a moment before he stood, placed Vivi in her crib and moved over to his wife. Vivi did not like being put down and let out an indignant grunt while she pounded her chubby hands on the mattress; her parents were on the other side of the room and she felt most adamantly that she should be with them. Remy looked back once to double check that the side of the crib was up high enough to keep his disgruntled daughter in before turning back to Rogue; he was dismayed to see that she hadn't stopped her packing and hadn't looked up at him. "Ah'm sure y' _mere_ an' _gran'mere_ would like dat," he said as he began handing her extra things that she would need; blankets, wipes, etc. "Fun ladies day f'r you all."

"Marius is goin' t' the meetin' too?" Rogue paused in her packing but still didn't look up.

"_Oui_."

"Both guilds?" Rogue finally looked up at him. "What's this meetin' about?"

"Y' know what its about. If bot' guilds be involved den… I'm sure y' can guess."

"Remy," for the first time, Rogue let her mask slip away and he saw the raw fear blazing in her eyes. Her tone was urgent and her hands reached up to grip his arms. "Y'all ain't- y' not gonna head up there-?"

"_Non_," Remy answered swiftly, unnerved by the fear he saw in her and slid his arms around her waist in an attempt to comfort her. "Jus' talk right now, _chere_, dat's all. What we know, what we need t' find out. Poppa's had people watchin' de place f'r awhile an' dey comin' in t' let us know what dey learned. Guilds ain't takin' too kindly t' trespassin, dese fools be tryin' t' recruit an' hittin' a stone wall 'cuz of de guilds. Word is dey getting' frustrated, tryin' t' push people aroun' up dere. If'n dey wan' trouble, dey gonna get in sho' nuff."

"These ain't just street thugs, Remy," Rogue's voice had lost none of its urgency, in fact, she looked a little more frightened than before. "Ah know y'all are trained from th' time y'all were little, Ah ain't playin' naieve 'bout th' assassins being trained t' kill from childhood… But these people… Remy they're monsters. They're zealots an' they're more dangerous than anyone realizes. They may not be trained fighters or killers but there ain't nothin' more dangerous than an inspired amateur."

"Don' y' worry none, darlin'," Remy soothed, as much as he hated seeing that fear in her eyes, he was glad because at last she was expressing real emotions and he could try to comfort her. "Gonna be a lotta talkin' b'fore anyt'ing happen. De guilds got a lotta pull an' if dey can find a way t' run dese losers outta de state wit'out liftin' a finger den we do it dat way."

"Please promise me that y' won't let any of them take this lightly," Rogue buried her face into his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. "Promise y' won't let them rush inta anythin' too quickly so they lose th' upper hand."

"_Tout ira bien se passer, mon amour_," Remy whispered and held her tightly, his fingers stroking her air, lovingly as he pressed soft kisses to the top of her head. "_Je vous promets. Je ne laisserai rien arriver à notre famille. Vous et Vivi, êtes tout pour moi. Je te aime tellement tous les deux, vous le savez_."

(Translate: Everything will be fine, my love. I promise you. I won't let anything happen to our family. You and Vivi, are everything to me. I love you both so much, you know that.)

"I know," Rogue whispered fiercely as she looked back up at him, her eyes brimming with the tears she had withheld for months. "Those damned monsters, we should be so happy right now, watchin' Vivi grow an' change an' enjoyin' our family but they're all Ah can think about. Always in the back of mah mind, darkenin' every bright moment… Ah'm so sorry Ah've been so distant, Remy but Ah've just been so scared."

"Sshhh,_ bébé_, I won't let anything hurt y', hurt us. _Je te aime_,_ dulcinée_," Remy leaned in to kiss the tears that begun falling from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. He kept kissing her until his lips met hers and he deepened that kiss with an exquisite passion.

"Oh, Remy, Ah love you too," Rogue murmured against his mouth when they broke apart for some much needed air. "_Je te aime aussi, ma chérie, ma chérie_..."

His lips swallowed up her words as he kissed her again; lips parted as their kisses deepened and they clung to each other, kissing one another furiously. It wasn't so much that they were aroused by the kisses though there was a bit of that, it was more that they weren't quite sure just how to express the intensity of emotions that were swelling up and overflowing within them and the kisses seemed to be saying what they couldn't put into words. If they could have melted into one another, they would have.

"Whoa dere!" A cry came from the door that made them both separate, though they were loath to do so. Emil was leaning against the door frame grinning at them. "Really? In front of de kid? Dis ain' dat kinda- OW!"

Emil was rubbing his arm where Mercy had pinched him as she came up behind him. "Will y' leave dem alone?"

"Jean Luc say t' come get Remy-"

"Eh, let the Elders wait, it be good for dem."

Rogue and Remy gave the pair standing in the doorway a grin as they went back and forth for another moment before sneaking another kiss. Mercy had walked away from Emil, waving him away as she leaned in to pick up Vivi. The little girl, frustrated by her parent's lack of attention had given up after a few loud grunts and had been busying herself with a rubber teething ring she found among her blankets but now as her aunt reached in to pick her up, the teething ring left much to be desired. "She'll be glad t' know, growin' up dat her parents care f'r each other," Mercy told Emil as she bounced Vivi in her arms.

"Depends on how much carin' dey do while she be in the room."

Remy rolled his eyes but couldn't help grinning as he placed a soft kiss on Anna's palm and moved over to kiss his daughter, before turning to Emil. "Since y' so concerned wit' Vivi's well-bein' y' can help Anna get her t'ings down t' de car so she can go visit wit' her _mere_ while we gone."

"What?" Emil looked over at Rogue as Mercy got one more hug in and followed Remy out. "Y' leavin' Anna? But dere be a baseball game on t'day. Lots of excitement, lots of food, sandwiches…"

"She ain't makin' y' an' Lapin sandwiches," Remy poked his head in one last time to warn his cousin and wink at his wife.

**XXX**

"He didn't say what other options they were thinking of?" Rogue had arrived at her mother's house a while after Marius left only to find that her stepfather hadn't given Raven any more information than Remy had.

"No, Mama," Rogue sighed and stared at the condensation running down her icy glass of lemonade. She was outside on the front porch with Raven and Irene; Vivi was napping in her portable playpen as the short ride over had tuckered her out. It was August but the weather was surprisingly agreeable; the heat had been nearly unbearable but then it usually was. Setting her glass atop the small table beside her chair, Rogue continued: "He jus' promised me that he would let them know that these zealots are dangerous an' that they couldn't jus' go chargin' in."

"Not quite their style," Raven mused from where she sat beside Irene on the porch swing facing Rogue. "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to remind them. They have been running this place for far too long and this group of bigots is not just going to go away quietly bowing and scraping."

"Mama," Rogue looked over at her sleeping daughter and adjusted the mesh covering that had been designed to keep out the flying pests before turning back to her foster parents. "We can't leave that place standing and we can't leave any of them living."

"Well, that was the general idea," Raven raised a brow as she took in Rogue's statement. Anna fought well for their cause but she usually balked when it came to actual killing so her words had taken Mystique by surprise. "Take them down, cripple them with one fell swoop."

"But wouldn't that just make them look like martyrs?"

"We had considered that," Raven shrugged slightly. "But in the end, all that really matters is that they're gone."

"But what if we could make it look like they did it to themselves?"

"Frame them for their own deaths?"

"Exactly."

"Motherhood has graced you with a devious streak, my darling," Raven smirked at her daughter. "I think I like it. What did you have in mind?"

"Plant an explosive device within their headquarters."

"Just waltz into the Friends of Humanity's headquarters all over the country and place a bomb? I retract my last statement."

"That's not what Ah meant," Rogue rolled her eyes skyward. "If we can get our hands on blueprints, layouts for th' buildings, there has to be a way t' sneak in an' plant the bombs without being seen. In other cases, we can cause a distraction that would allow for say, Spiral ta port in an' plant a device. You can broadcast somethin' in the meantime, or let it loose right before the mission an' pretend t' be someone like Trask or Gyrich. Make it seem like they're going to pull some massive suicide bombing so they can create suspicion against mutants. Show them for the crazy fanatics that they are, willing to die en masse for their cause. Not t' mention a little superficial damage t' other buildings might help. Ta show that they are willin' t' harm innocents too."

Raven stared at her daughter for a few moments, the mask of her Emilie persona as unreadable as her natural one could be and then a very pleased smile made it's way up her face. "I'll send word to Magnus. We have only a couple of weeks but I'm sure we can get something out implicating one of the leaders in this massive plot. Congratulations, dear daughter, on your first devious plot."

"The roads we will follow for our children," Irene said, nodding her head slowly. Staring from behind her dark glasses in Viviane's direction as though she could plainly see the sleeping child. "Now you know, Anna, why Raven and I have worked so tirelessly for the Brotherhood, why we have done things that others may have deemed monstrous; stolen, cheated and yes, even killed. We did it for you, for Viviane, for the future."

"Do ya see what happens now, Renie?" Rogue asked tentatively, wanting to ask certain questions but so afraid of the answers. "Can ya see if we keep the bill from passin'?"

"At this point my child," Irene seemed to look down at her hands folded in her lap, her long chin nearly touching the frilly lace collar of the finely pressed, button down blouse she wore. "I'm afraid that it is still too difficult to distinguish what will be from what could be. There is so much to factor in, too many unknown variables, too many unpredictable characters in the game. I cannot give you the answers you want to hear at this time. I know you fear the future, Anna, but you can't keep letting it rob you of your joy in the present. Trust me when I say this, because no one knows better than I."

"Anna?" Raven looked over at Rogue, her features softening a bit as she watched her daughter blink back tears. After what seemed to be an eternal struggle, Rogue stopped fighting and let the tears fall as she crossed the short distance of the porch, only to fall onto the laps of her mothers. Their hearts tore as they listened to her sobs, Raven reached over to take Irene's hand as her other one threaded through Rogue's hair. Irene was doing the same and she gave her lover's hand a reassuring squeeze as they let their daughter empty her anguish. Raven allowed her to cry for a few more moments before speaking up, her voice tender but firm: "Alright, Rogue, that's enough. What could be is not what you need to be focusing on right now. We have work to do and a limited window of opportunity in which to do it. You can't worry over what you don't know as yet. If Irene sees something we need to know, she'll let us know. For now, we push it all aside and carry on. If you allow this fear to keep it's hold on you, it will cripple you. No one ever got anywhere by being scared all the time, it will keep us from doing what we need to do. You are worried about your child… Well, so am I. But I refuse to sit here and let that consume me, to paralyze me… and I sure as hell won't let it keep me from enjoying your company. You will face this head on, I know you will because that's what you've always done. It's what you'll always do because you refuse to fall by the wayside, you refuse to be winnowed out. It's a strength to be proud of."

Rogue sat back on her heels as she listened to Raven, taking the pressed handkerchief that Irene offered and wiped her eyes. "It's alright to cry," Irene smiled warmly. "But not for too long."

"Ah can get in there," Rogue got to her feet, still clutching the tear-soaked handkerchief. "Ah can get the layout myself."

"What layout?" Raven was glad to see Rogue's tears stop but she wasn't sure just where she was headed now.

"The Baton Rouge headquarters. We don't have to dig up the plans for it, I can go in."

"No," Mystique said, flatly in a tone Rogue usually didn't dare question. "Its far too dangerous. It's an old building, I'm sure they have blueprints at the town hall. They're bound to have some sort of records somewhere. I think it used to be some sort of historical site."

"It's only just over an hour's drive, Ah would be there and back before that meetin' is over."

"I will not have this argument, Anna. There are too many guards, you are not walking into the headquarters of that vile organization and start poking around. There's no way that you wouldn't be noticed."

"A thief wouldn't."

"Are you suggesting Remy-"

"No!" Anna said a little too quickly. "Ah mean, Ah could, if Ah had th' proper experience. All it would take is a little touch."

"You said everyone went to the meeting."

"Remy's cousins stayed behind."

"Those morons?"

"Those 'morons' are trained Thieves Guild members," Rogue insisted. "This isn't a club ya get in just because o' nepotism. They have ta learn those skills an' they really are part of th' elite. An' they may seem like screw ups but they mean well and they have good hearts."

"Even if you absorbed their abilities," Raven mused over the plan and Rogue was pleased that she wasn't outright rejecting it anymore. "Would you retain anything by the time you made it to Baton Rouge? You wouldn't be able to hold on to those boys for more than a few moments, you certainly don't want them in your head for any longer than you have to. Wouldn't their abilities have already begun to fade before you could enter the building?"

"Ah should be able to access their abilities f'r a few hours afterward, especially if Ah absorb both of 'em. Plus, Jean Luc said that he had people watchin' the building so if he still does, Ah can possibly absorb them too."

Mystique frowned slightly as she stared at Rogue intently, no doubt analyzing every possible angle of Rogue's proposed mission and after a few moments, she looked over at Irene. As though she could feel Raven's gaze, Irene pursed her lips before replying to her lover's unspoken question: "I see no negative outcome to Rogue directly but something will happen there tonight. Blood will be spilled, but more than that, I cannot say."

"I'm going with you," Raven made to stand and Rogue was on her feet before her mother could rise.

"No, mama."

"I'm not letting you go in there without back up. I've already sent the rest of the team up to Washington."

"Mama," Rogue grabbed her mother's hand in her gloved ones. "Ah want ya t' stay an' take care of Vivi."

"Vivi is sleeping, Irene can-"

"Mama, these monsters are in the same state as mah child," her voice was strained as she spoke now, though she tried to stifle her fear. "No offense t' Renie but Ah want both of you here. Ah need t' know that mah child is safe while Ah'm out there. By now, there are a lotta folks who know that there was some mutant activity 'round here an' even if they are scared of th' guilds, people will still talk. Please stay with her."

"Alright," Raven sighed, still frowning. "I can see that you would just go do this anyway, even if I told you to stand down. But this is recon only, do you hear me? Do not engage any of them. Not a single one! There should be some suitable attire for you in the trunk in my room; you can't sneak into the headquarters of a violent group of zealots wearing jeans."

**XXX**

With the excuse of returning to retrieve something for Vivi, the two thieves didn't question her return. She of course felt a pang of guilt over absorbing the psyches of her husband's cousins, they didn't even realize what she was doing as they were wholly distracted with the triple header they were watching and didn't even notice Rogue slipping off her gloves to graze her fingers over the backs of their necks. She watched the two men slump down in their seats and she watched to see that they were breathing evenly before she tugged her gloves back on, compartmentalizing everything she had just gleaned. Since the men were trained thieves, she instantly knew what kind of equipment she needed and just where to find it all. She let out a grunt when she found a simple looking belt with hidden compartments; like Batman's utility belt; and she slung it around her slim hips with a last look at her husband's cousins. The two cousins would wake up a little groggy but they wouldn't remember anything that happened. Sliding behind the wheel of her car, a sporty four-door that Remy bought because he couldn't bring himself to drive a station wagon or minivan, and made it to Baton Rouge in about an hour; there was a seemingly innocuous looking bumper sticker on the back of her car that identified it with the guilds so there was no way she would get pulled over for speeding. She parked down the street, about a block away from the building; she had grabbed a hooded sweater from the house before absorbing the two men and now shrugged it on over the dark green, form-fitting battle suit, pulling the hood over her distinctive hair. She made an initial pass of the building across the street and then double backed, daring to walk on the same side of the street as she passed the building again, using the skills she gleaned from her cousins in law to assess the building's exterior. Pushing back the jovial personalities of Emil and Lapin, Rogue focused on the facts and logistics of the task before her as she stood in front of a news stand down the street and pretended to browse the magazines. Her eyes darted toward the building again, watching the two over-muscled guards at the door, the bulges beneath their clothing telling her that they were armed.

"Anna?" She nearly jumped when the man that had come up beside her a moment ago spoke up in a hoarse whisper. She didn't need to turn around, she recognized Philippe's voice. "What de hell are y' doin' here, Anna? Y' know what dis place is, y' need t' go home, now. I know Remy's at de meetin' so y' not here wit' him."

"Ya know Ah can take care o' myself Philippe," Rogue hissed, her eyes still on the magazines. "Ya seen me spar wit' Remy b'fore."

"Remy wouldn't hurt y'. Dese men would enjoy it."

"Leave m' be, _homme_," her concentration was slipping and so was her accent, the two Cajun's bouncing around her brain were bleeding into her speech pattern. Philippe's eyes flickered toward Rogue when he noticed but he didn't say anything about it. "Ah need t' get into dat buildin'. I need t' know what I'm up agains'. _Dans un souci de ma fille, je ai besoin pour voir à l'intérieur_!"

(For the sake of my daughter, I need to see inside!)

"I'm goin' down de alley directly behin' us," the muscles in Philippe's jaw worked for a moment, he remembered everything he had heard about Anna's powers and her speech patterns were making him suspicious; even more than when he watched her case the building just now. "Gettin' in de black van parked dere. Y' gonna wait forty seconds an' den y' follow."

"Ah won'-"

"Y' follow or I call Remy. I don' care if I interrupt de damn meetin'."

Rogue scowled at the magazine rack as she heard Philippe saunter away and then counted out 40 seconds before she casually skimmed over the rest of the racks and followed him at a nonchalant pace. When she reached the van and let herself in, Philippe turned on her, his eyes blazing in the dim light. "Are y' alright?"

"Of course."

"Good, cuz I jus' may kill y'."

"Y' had no right t' interfere, Philippe."

"No right? _Merde_ Anna! How y' t'ink I be able t' face Remy if anyt'ing happen t' y'?! Or Mina?! She love y' like a sister, she be devastated if anyt'ing happen t' y'!"

"Ah'm not a child, how dare ya treat me like one! Dis is what Ah do! Ah protec' mah kind! Only a matter o' time b'fore dey come f'r mah family an' Ah-"

"We be y' family too, Anna! Y' be my cousin's wife, y' an' Vivi, y' are my family now! Trust us t' deal wit' dis, please?"

"Ah'm sorry, cousin," Anna whispered, surreptitiously slipping off her glove. She looked up at Philippe, and she saw his eyes soften a bit as he beheld the unshed tears glistening in her eyes. "But dere be only one way y' can help me."

Rogue stretched her fingers up and slid her soft fingers over his stubbled cheek. "Ah'm sorry," she repeated as she watched him slump down in the driver's seat and picked through the flood rushing through her mind. Philippe had been watching the building, he had information that she needed.

He knew how to get in and now, she did too. Sliding out of the van, she locked the door as she shut it and made her way out of the alley. The sun was setting, the shadows were growing longer and it would soon be dark enough to cover her movements. Heading to end of the street, Rogue worked her way through the alley behind the street the building was on and headed up an old fire escape on the building next door. It was vacant and the buildings were close enough so she could cross from one roof to the other. The FOH had video surveillance in the front and the back of the building but not on the roof. There was a roof access to the out of order elevator shaft where she could easily access the air vents. It was a very old building and the vents that went through the entire building, were wide enough for her to crawl through. It was one of the first buildings in Baton Rouge to have air conditioning and the vents were made of a very thick metal so she could move around them easily and quietly. Accessing the skills of her cousins by marriage, Rogue easily made the jumps between the buildings, picked the rusty lock on the roof door before sliding into the narrow elevator shaft. Creeping through the vents, she kept track of where she was in the building, pausing to peer out the grates she came to and made mental notes on the different offices or communal rooms she came to like Mystique had taught her. As she neared the basement level, she passed a dimly lit grate so she slid over to check out that room. Her heart squeezed painfully and her breath caught in her throat as she scanned the room; it was their armory. Piles of automatic weapons, magazines, batons, riot gear, and explosives. Wicked looking blades of various sizes graced the walls, crates labeled C-4 were stacked beside it, long nets and things that looked like bear traps lined up neatly by the door. More disturbing were the cages of various sizes ranging from a tall dog kennel to something capable of holding several adults. Bile churned in her belly, threatened to force its way up her throat as her emerald eyes widened, taking in the very end… coffins. Made of cheap, rough wood and stacked from floor to ceiling, at least a couple dozen. She had to get out of there; her breath was caught in her throat, stuck there and she brought a hand up to her neck; she felt like she was being strangled. She couldn't stop shaking. She couldn't breathe.

'_Stop it, Anna!' _She head Philippe's voice quite plainly, echoing through her mind. '_Y' can't panic now, y' have t' calm down_.'

'_Take a deep breat', chere_,' it was Emil, faint but it was his voice. '_Breathe in slowly an' let it out. Y'_ _alright, y' not hurt, jus' scared_.'

'_Dey don' know y' in dere_,' Lapin's voice, faint like Emil's piped up. '_Y' almost done an' den y' can get out easy. Jus' like ya came in. Dey'll never know y' were dere_.'

'_C'mon, Anna_,' Philippe urged. '_Y said y' could take care o' yaself, so do it chere. Prove y' ain't a scared lil' girl. Y' in de middle of de lion's den while dey be sleepin'_. _Get up!_'

Rogue forced herself to sit up and leaned against the side of the vent, taking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. She repeated this a few more times before she felt her heart rate slow down. She shoved the panic and the fear down, she would deal with it later; she would cry all she wanted later. As her panic level dropped, the training that she had siphoned from her cousins began to take over again and she pushed herself back up to continue through the vents until she reached the end. The last room, adjacent to the armory, appeared to be a laboratory with every more equipment than NASA. There were chemicals in vials, tanks and bottles along with several computers. A delicate brow flickered slightly as she had an idea.

'_Can any o' you boys hack inta their network?_'

'_Ha!_' Emil scoffed. '_As if dese douchebags know how t' put up a proper fire wall_.'

'_Don' do it, Anna_,' Philippe chided. '_Y got what 'y came here for. It ain't worth de risk_.'

'_Ah need access ta their server. We can boost Mystique's fake address directly into it an' make sure S.H.I.E.L.D sees it. Ah know exactly how we can take them down now_.'

Despite the grumbling from the three psyches in her head, Rogue made sure the room was completely empty before she eased the vent open carefully so as to not make a sound and slid out of the opening, her feet landing on a desk top. It would be easy to pull herself back up when she was done but for now, she dropped down to the ground with all the noise of a snowfall. Stepping lightly over to a computer, she pulled a device from a compartment on her belt, attaching it to a port on the server, Emil's voice walking her through step by step. She moved quickly as she noticed his voice growing fainter by the moment. After a few keystrokes, she was in and she began typing in commands allowing her to copy keystrokes and passwords as well as downloading the files stored in the hard drive. A file had been recently created and accessed several times; she couldn't help herself, she had to see it. Upon opening the file, that nausea she had fought back earlier rushed back with a vengeance and she swallowed hard, willing her stomach to settle. What she saw both sickened and terrified her. They were creating power suppressors. They had already been testing the prototypes on live mutants and she couldn't bring herself to pull up the videos of the tests. She just copied everything. Just before she closed the file, she paused, her fingers trembling over the keyboard. Three voices urged her to finish up and get out but she couldn't, not yet. A few more keystrokes later, the file on the power suppressors and videos of the tests were emailed directly to S.H.I.E.L.D. Mystique hated Fury with a passion but Rogue knew that the director was very thorough. With Emil's fading help, she had routed the email through several servers so it would be traced back to the FOH's California headquarters.

'_Now get outta dere_," Lapin urged as his voice faded away.

Emil was fading too as he made up some sort of ditty about her sticking it to the FOH to Queen's 'We Will Rock You'.

'_I can't be helpin' y' f'r much longer, petit_,' Philippe urged as she fit the drive back into her belt and pulled herself back up into the vent. '_Get out, back de way y' came an' go fin' my unconscious carcass_.'

'_Ah hope ya not too mad at me later, shugah_,' Rogue responded as she crawled swiftly and quietly through the vents.

'_Nah, don' worry 'bout it_.'

'_Heh, Ah'll let ya know yer psyche said that_.'

It took her less than twenty minutes to get back to the elevator shaft access on the roof and she made her way out cautiously, checking the roof, her eyes adjusting quickly to the darkness outside thanks to the dim lighting within the vents. Shoving the rusted lock back in place, Rogue crept along the roof and leapt to the other building, her heart rate beginning to climb. The abilities she borrowed from her in laws were nearly gone and she was coasting on fumes as she made her way down the fire escape. She had been training with Mystique and the Brotherhood for years but after using the grace of three elite thieves, her movements felt clumsy, slow and very loud. Keeping to the wall of the building she had just climbed down, Rogue made her way to the front of the street. Tugging her hood farther down and pushing back a few errant strands that had escaped during her travails, she casually walked up the street, intending to check on Philippe before she made her way back to her car. It was nearly ten pm, the shops were beginning to close and she still had just over an hour's drive back to New Orleans. Just as she crossed the street and was about to head into the alley, she heard a noise, like a shout from behind. She turned quickly and scanned the street but all she saw were the merchants closing down their stores. Rogue could see no movement in the van as she unlocked it and peered inside; Philippe was still out and breathing evenly. She placed the keys to the van in his hand so he would have them when he awoke, and pressed down the lock on the door before shutting it again. Creeping up the alley, she intended to briskly walk to her car when she heard the sounds of scuffling up ahead. Rogue picked up her pace and peered around the side of the building; she froze in place as she watched the FOH building spring to life. The front lights went on as two more burly men in FOH tee shirts, the douchebags had matching tee shirts, rushed out to join the two guards out front. Biting down hard on her lower lip to keep from crying out, she watched the four hulking men descend on two mutants in front of the building.

"I caught 'em digging in the garbage out back!" One of the guards exclaimed. She had just been back there, how had he missed her and seen them? The man had a Jersey accent; Mystique had been right, they were busing bigots in.

"Please!" One of the mutants cried out, he was covered in what looked like fish scales and they caught the light from the street lamps, casting off prisms that were actually kind of pretty. "We were just hungry! We haven't eaten in days. We won't do it again."

Rogue's heart twisted at the mutant's words and she winced as one of the FOH kicked the scaley mutant hard in the ribs as he spewed hatred. Her fingers gripped the bricks of the building beside her, rage and disgust swirling inside her gut, as she watched the four men taunt, spit upon and jeer at the cowering mutants. "Stop! Please!" the other mutant pleaded with them, he was small and spindly, his skin was taut, the color of iridescent putty. "We didn't mean any harm! We don't even have powers!"

Rogue's eyes as she watched, they possessed the mutant gene but had no powers; it was almost worse than if they did have super powers. They were targets and had no way to defend themselves. She couldn't do anything; she was in no position to engage, not four of them anyway and she had no back up. She considered going for help but if they hadn't come by now with all the racket being caused in the street, they weren't likely to. She bit down on her fist as one of the grey, putty colored mutant received a hard kick as he lay cowering. 'Oh, Gawd! What do Ah do? What can Ah do?' There was no answer. Her in law's psyches were long gone and since there was no thundering voice from the heavens, she could only watch as the four musclebound men began to whale on the two defenseless mutants. After another moment of watching the brutal beat down, she just couldn't take it anymore, she had to do something; scream at them… something… As she moved to step out on the street, an arm circled around her shoulders from behind and another clamped over her mouth; Rogue was pulled back further into the alley. She was pushed back none too gently and she winced as the arms that grabbed her, released her as she slammed back against the brick building none too gently. Part of her was hoping it was Philippe and the other part was praying that it wasn't another "Friend".

"Didn't t'ink y' were dat stupid, girl."

Out of the frying pan. Rogue's eyes flew open as she recognized the sneer thrown her way; her gaze was met by condescending blue eyes and she could just make out the perfectly coifed blond hair. And into the fire.

"Belle?!"

**(A/N:** Yes! Belladonna is back! But why? And did she just save Rogue? Another question, where's Julien? Where have those two been all this time? Review please?**)**


End file.
